| 3 |
- OLD SETTLER PIONEERS AGAIN
- D. B. Lovejoy Tells of His Initiation to Rock County in
1856
-
- LOVEJOY Cannon, Colo., Mar. 20 '24.
- Editor of the Review - In the month of June 1856 the
writer sailed from his birth place New York City on the Hudson
River to Albany, then by rail to Buffalo, from there by boat
on Lake Erie to Toledo, then by rail to Chicago, and on to Janesville,
Wisconsin remaining there over night, sleeping or rather trying
to sleep on a mattress containing not enough corn husks to keep
by body from the slats.
- In this city there appeared to be a mania with a few persons
for speeding horses on the
- highway in front of the hotel. Many patent-right men were
guests, whose voices could be heard most of the time in efforts
to induce some person the right to manufacture. They became such
a suisance that a number were invited to join an order of the
"Thousand and One" where the initiated received rough
handling by being blindfolded and slid down an incline with considerable
speed, into a tank of cold water, and other similar exercises
required by the order.
- From Janesville rode in an old Concord coach six miles to
Afton. Met there a train to
- carry the traveler to Footville a small village situated
at end of the Beloit and Madison railroad. While waiting for
the train I put up with a tavern keeper, nicknamed "Jack
of Spades" on account of his color and building, who fed
his customers on frontier food.
- At Footville engaged a farmer to haul me in a lumber wagon
fourteen miles to my
- uncle's farm in the town of Union, Rock County, Wisconsin.
While riding in the conveyance I realized the first time since
starting from New York City, that I was far, far from home and
friends out on a vast ocean like prairie, not a shrub to be seen.
How still! Not a sound but that of the conveyance and our voices.
- The invigorating influence of the electrical atmosphere seemed
to fill the blood in my
- veins with new life. My appearance at uncle's log cabin was
a surprise, none of his family having seen a traveler before
and by uncle only when a child.
- I was made welcome and the girl cousin manifested considerable
interest in me, piloting
- me through the fields, the orchards, the meadows, and the
oak openings that were an attractive feature of this part of
Wisconsin, formed of scattering oaks upon the prairie, constitutiing
immense groves. I was escorted by the dear kin to the neighboring
farmers, hunted wild pigeons that were numerous on the trees
near the barn and in the fields.
- Being recently from a city of brick and mortar and stone
structures, confined and noisy
- streets, this farming life had its charms, and the traveler
would sing "The farmer's life is the life for me, hurrah!
hurrah!"
- I soon purchased with money earned and saved, one hundred
and twenty acres of wild
- timber land, through which ran trout brooks, where many deer
quenched their thirst and roamed. The chattering squirrel climbed,
the rattle snake rattled, the birds sang, the partridge drummed
and the winds made music with the leaves on the trees.
- My wife is a Wisconsin Story, though an old old Story, but
ever interesting too.
-
- Yours Respectfully,
- Dan'l B. LOVEJOY [p. 1, col. 2]
-
- Courtesy of Ruth Ann Montgomery.
|
| 17 |
- Delbert
Allen
- Delbert ALLEN was born at Hoosick Falls, New York,
December 23, 1844 and
- died at his home, Saturday, April 12, 1924. He came to Wisconsin
in [18]65. Settling near his home here. He was married to Rachel
ADAMS, Dec. 10, 1867 in the town of Decatur. They have
lived here over fifty years. He leaves two children, Mrs. Mima
WEARY of Madison and George at home and 6 grand children.
He was 79 years 3 months and 18 days old at his death.
- Funeral services were held at the home east of town Monday
afternoon at 2:30, Rev.
- F. P. Hanaman officiating. Interment was made in the cemetery
near his home.
-
- Both Delbert & Rachel are buried in Ball Tavern Cemetery,
Porter Twp., Rock Co., WI.
-
- Courtesy of Ruth Ann Montgomery.
|
